India, US hand in terror 'not official': Pak

Islamabad, Mar 5: Pakistan government has distanced itself from the recent statement by the Caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz that United States, Afghanistan and India had a hand in terrorist activities in Pakistan.

Clarifying the federal government's stance, Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier (Retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said that they were the minister's personal views and not the government's official policy. "I can only say that what the interior minister said was not the government's official policy," the Daily Times quoted Cheema as saying.

Hamid Nawaz had in recent interview to Arab TV said that the US, India and Afghanistan were involved in lawlessness in Pakistan and that generally it was believed that America and Afghanistan were backing the outfits involved in terrorism in Pakistan.

He had also said that there were reports that Indian Intelligence Agency RAW was involved in violent incidents in Pakistan. "We are sure that RAW is involved and there was no doubt in it," he said in the TV interview.

Following the interview, the US had on Sunday expressed concern over the minister's allegations. In a statement, the American Embassy in Islamabad said that the US Ambassador NW Patterson talked to the Minister of Interior Hamid Nawaz on telephone to communicate concern over his statement.